Padma Lakshmi Says This Is Her Favorite Fast Food Restaurant, But Purists Won’t Like Her Order

Padma Lakshmi knows a couple of things about whether the food in front of her is good or not—in fact, she’s made a career out of it. The former Top Chef host and judge fronted the cooking show for 20 seasons, and saw countless dishes made by hopeful contestants. So, when she dubs a restaurant her favorite, particularly one that serves speedy fast food burgers, you better believe that we’re sitting up and listening. When that restaurant is the same one that multiple other chefs have also praised, you know it’s good.

So, which burger restaurant does Padma prefer over all others? It may come as no surprise, dear reader, that she’s not heading to the McDonald’s drive-thru, but opting for that perennial fast food champion: In-N-Out.

Padma’s In-N-Out Order Is Unconventional

Padma has made no secret of her admiration for In-N-Out over the years. She was pictured holding one of its burgers at an after-party for the 2015 Emmys, even going so far as to tag the fast food chain on Instagram when posting the snap. Then, a couple of years later, she posted an Instagram story after landing in Los Angeles, where she stated that In-N-Out was her first stop. 

Now, all of this is pretty definitive proof that she’s a fan of the chain, but in case you needed any more convincing, she stated it as fact in 2022 during an exclusive interview with Mashed. In the interview, she reiterated her love of grabbing a burger from In-N-Out when she’s in L.A., while also highlighting mini-chain Astro Burger as another hot spot that she likes to frequent, where she orders its Gardenburger. 

When she eats at In-N-Out, though, Lakshmi goes off-menu—and not in the Animal Style way that a lot of people do. Instead, she goes for a slightly left-of-center flavor profile, grabbing her burger with no onions (which come as standard on In-N-Out burgers) and extra pickles. The latter aren’t actually in any of In-N-Out’s regular burgers, but all you need to do is ask, and they’ll whack them on top of your patty for ya. The more you know, huh?

Padma’s Not the Only Foodie Personality Who Loves In-N-Out

In case you needed any more convincing that In-N-Out is the place to be, it’s also Gordon Ramsay’s favorite fast food restaurant. Ramsay keeps things a little more classic with his order, opting for a Double-Double, Animal Style, which is on the burger joint’s Not So Secret Menu. Oh, and did we tell you that it’s Guy Fieri’s favorite fast food restaurant, too? We did? Well, hey, all of these opinions can’t be wrong.